Little Miss Watson
by lala112
Summary: This is the story of John and Mary's daughter, Mary Jr. and her adventures with Sherlock. She is a fifteen year old genius, filled with attitude but most of all is Sherlock's 'Unofficial Protegee' with a not-so-secret boyfriend. (I have updated all the chapters. I will possibly be continuing the story but this time focusing more on Sherlock and Irene's relationship)
1. An Unexpected Appearance

"Mary. Wake up." The deep, loveable, voice of Sherlock Holmes wandered in to Mary Watson's bedroom. She kept her eyes closed for a second but smiled. She propped herself up on her elbows, looked round and there he was, hanging off her window sill, smiling. She tried to stifle a laugh and he winked. She pulled herself out of bed and walked over to the window, she opened it and he hauled himself up until he was standing in her bedroom, brushing off the dirt from his coat and re adjusting his scarf.

"What's up Uncle S?" She sat down on her bed, pulling her long, blonde, hair back in to a pony tail. She was only wearing a t-shirt and pyjama shorts and had left the window open, she was cold. Sherlock noticed and rushed to close it at once.

"Silly Question." The smile never left his face.

Mary sighed, "Okay then, what are you doing in my bedroom at four in the morning?"

"I have something to ask of you." He sat down opposite her in the wicker reading chair she kept by her computer.

"And you couldn't text me?" she rubbed her eyes, she was tired.

Sherlock gave her a look, "We both know your dad checks your messages Mary, a text from me at four in the morning would look more than ominous."

Mary rolled her eyes, "My dad thinks he checks my texts." She got down off of her bed and pulled a box from underneath it, once it was opened Sherlock had to bite his lip to stop from laughing.

"An identical copy of your phone, I underestimate you." He paused for a moment and his brow furrowed, "but I'm disappointed with John and Mary."

"Mum knows."

"Of course she does. Keep explaining."

"The great William Sherlock Scott Holmes cannot guess?" She shot him a mischievous look.

"John told you my full name." Sherlock sunk back in to the chair, he was thinking.

Mary snapped her fingers, "No mind palace right now Holmes. I was telling you about my phones."

Sherlock looked at her, surprised. Mary Watson Junior, his unofficial protégée. His best friends daughter, she was growing up so quickly...

"I gave a few 'friends' at school this number," She held up the fake phone, "and then, you, my mum, my dad, mycroft-"

"Mycroft? Why on earth do you have Mycrofts number?"

"He likes to keep tabs on you."

Sherlock rolled his eyes and made a hand gesture for her to go on, even though he deduced everything she had been doing with the phones, he liked Mary to tell him.

"Well that's it really, I never let the real phone out of my site. The fake phone I leave lying around my room so that when my dad starts snooping he just finds a few benign conversations between me and the people I am supposed to call my friends. He has no idea."

"Very clever of you Mary but the problem with that is that your father is currently standing right behind you. He is angry and confused as to why I am here, our talking woke him up and I suggest that you throw me your real phone now." Sherlock stood up, John didn't say a word, he looked angry.

Mary stood up and grabbed the real phone just as her dad lunged for it. She chucked it to Sherlock and he winked at her one more time before opening the window and sliding down the drain pipe as quickly as possible before John started shouting at his teenage daughter. Mary ran to the window and leant forward on the ledge, she saw Sherlock running across the lawn.

"The favour will have to wait Miss Watson." and then he was gone, back to 221b.


	2. Solitary Confinement

"_**LET ME OUT.**_" Mary banged her fists against her bedroom wall as she screamed at her parents.

"Toilet break?" Her dad's voice called back.

"_**THIS IS ILLEGAL.**_"

"I'll take that as a no, your solitary confinement continues."

"_**I HATE YOU.**_"

"No you don't Mary." This time it was her mothers voice that replied from the other side of the wall.

Mary groaned and slumped to the floor, she was stuck in her room until the end of the week, banned from seeing Sherlock, only allowed to go to school but right now it was a Saturday afternoon and Mary had places she would much rather be.

This was all because of that stupid phone. This was all Sherlock's fault, If he hadn't broken in to her room at four am and made her reveal her cunning plan she might be outside doing something interesting right now.

"I could be about to kill myself right now and you would have no idea." Mary was trying everything she had to get her dad's attention.

Silence.

She stood up and started looking for a heavy book, it took mere seconds. She climbed on to her bed and called out one last time, "I'm gonna do it Dad, you can't stop me."

Silence, yet again.

She waited for a second before dropping the book on the floor, it made a loud, dull, thud.

Mary heard frantic movement and saw the turning of her door handle. The door opened and in came her dad, looking white as a sheet.

"I could have just killed myself and you wouldn't have known any different." She stared down at the floor, she felt slightly guilty.

John sighed and came and sat down next to his daughter on the bed. Mary Sr. was stood behind him but sensed it was better if she left the two alone, they needed a good heart to heart.

John waited for a while before speaking, his mouth tried to form words a few times but failed until he eventually settled on, "Why be dishonest Mary? We're your parents, we should be the people you trust most in the world and we should be able to feel the same but right now it just feels like you are hiding something and-."

"Dad, I, I just need my privacy.." Mary was mumbling now, she didn't want to have this conversation.

John looked at her, he was tired. "Me and your mum, well, we're worried about you. Outside of school you don't speak to anyone but Sherlock and in school well I mean you're doing great but you are always in trouble."

"What has this got to do with my phone?"

"I don't know Mary."

"Look, I don't want friends at school. I don't like them. The people there are just..." Mary sighed as she thought about the never ending hours she spent in that hell-hole

"Mary, are you, are you being bullied at all? Is that why you hide your phone, is it cyber bullying?" John sat up straight, he thought he'd hit on something.

"No dad, Jesus Christ. I'm just anti-social." Mary stood up and started pacing around her room.

John made a sort of 'hmm' noise in agreement.

"If I tell you what's on the phone will you let me out of my room?" Mary stopped pacing and looked her father in the eye.

John sighed, "Well, I don't know. I guess so." He pressed the base of his palms against his forehead.

Mary cleared her throat and fiddled with the material of her shirt after a moment of silence she mustered up the courage to say, "I have a boyfriend."

There was a crash and Mary's door was near ripped off it's hinges, Sherlock stood there, he had obviously been eavesdropping, "_**YOU HAVE A WHAT?**__"_


	3. A Mild Interrogation

"Name?" Sherlock was pacing up and down 221b, hands clasped together underneath his chin, he stopped to look at Mary when she did not reply.

"I don't see how this even matters-" She was cut short

"Name?" Sherlock repeated the question and carried on pacing.

"James."

After Sherlock and John had interrogated her at her own house he had insisted she come to his for 'a little chat'. John, Mary and Mary reluctantly agreed, at least she was no longer grounded.

"Age?"

"Seventeen." Mary was being as blunt as possible, she had known that Sherlock would over react when he found out.

He winced, "A little old, don't you think?"

Mary sighed and stood up in front of Sherlock, "Look Uncle S, I'm fifteen now. Me and James, it probably won't last but for now I like him and that's how it stands."

"_I_ still don't like it."

"And why is that?"

"Because I-" Sherlock faltered, "Because Mary we have a case coming up and I need you to be focused. Not distracted by some random boy."

"He's not a random boy, He's James." Her tone was cheeky, Sherlock wasn't in the mood. He knew no boy would ever be good enough for Mary, she was the single greatest girl he had ever known and he didn't want her having some boy mess up her life. John wasn't all too happy about it either. Mary Senior secretly thought it was quite sweet but didn't dare say anything to John or Sherlock for fear of getting her throat cut.

Mary was about to say something more and then thought about what Sherlock had just said, "_We _have a case coming up?" She was a mixture of excited, scared and curious all at once.

Sherlock flashed her a quick smile and gestured over to the two chairs by the fire place, he sat in his, whilst Mary sat in the other. "It was the favour I wanted to ask you, will you help me solve my next case Ms Watson?"

Mary didn't know what to say, she had been waiting for her first case her entire life, "Yes! Of course," she stopped herself from going on, "One condition though Mr Holmes."

Sherlock gave her an inquisitive look, "Yes?"

"You have to meet James, and you have to be nice."

Sherlock sighed, he thought for a moment before replying, "Fine. Now, your dad is currently walking up the stairs to this door because he followed us here in a cab and wants you home."

Mary winked before saying, "I know."

_Knock Knock_

"Come on Mary, I want you home." John's voice sounded strained, he still didn't like the idea of his girl with a boyfriend.

Mary giggled, "Coming Dad."

"I'll e-mail you the details of the case."

"You don't have my-" Sherlock gave Mary a look that said 'Really?' "Well I guess you do then, I will eagerly await the details of the case, Mr Holmes."

Mary walked to the door, and opened it to reveal a very stressed looking John. Just before she left she said one more thing to Sherlock, "Tomorrow, at three. Don't let me down."

John looked confused.

Sherlock looked anxious.


	4. A Meeting of New Foes

Sherlock paced around his London flat, regularly checking his watch that most recently read: 2:59. Sherlock sat down for a second but decided he would rather stand. He undid the buttons on the left cuff of his shirt but then redid the buttons on the left cuff of his shirt.

He heard the creaky step creak twice, two people. He closed his eyes and began to search his mind palace for information on teenage relationships but his thought process was interrupted by the inevitable knocking that usually proceeded guests entering his home.

Sherlock walked over to the door and opened it, slowly, delicately. He was greeted by the beaming face of his fifteen year old honorary niece and her seventeen year old recently acquired boyfriend. Sherlock tried to greet them but the words stuck in his throat. A look of surprise crossed his face at his own incapability.

"Cat got your tongue Uncle S?" Mary pushed past Sherlock and walked in to the apartment, holding her boyfriend's hand. Sherlock looked away as they sat down on his sofa. The boy was nervous yet confident, arrogant and a liar. Sherlock detested him already but had promised to be nice, for Mary's sake. He looked the boy up and down, something seemed strangely familiar about that short black hair and those light brown eyes.

"Uncle S?"

Sherlock came back to his senses very quickly. "My name is Sherlock Holmes, the only consulting detective in London and the world. This is my best friends daughter, Mary Watson and you are her boyfriend."

The boy hadn't realised that Sherlock was talking to him, he raised and eyebrow, straightened himself up and replied, "I'm James M. Toriary, Chemistry undergraduate and this is my girlfriend, Mary Watson and you are her dad's best friend."

Sherlock was surprised at his accent, Irish.

He didn't like it when people talked back to him like that, especially not this swine. "Chemistry undergraduate, aren't you a little young for university?"

James sneered, "I've got connections, I got to go a little early."

Sherlock made a snort of derision before Mary chimed in, "Tea? Anyone?" her voice was unusually high.

Sherlock and James just stared at each other, "Okay just me then..." Mary walked off in to the kitchen sensing it was best that the two were alone, even if Sherlock had promised to be nice, he hadn't promised not to be 'Sherlock'. The only thing she had failed to mention to either of them was that the two were highly similar and just as bad as each other when it came to interacting with other human beings.

Sherlock waited before Mary was out of earshot in the kitchen.

"I've seen your face before." Sherlock leaned forward so that he was closer to the adolescent boy, he didn't want Mary to hear this conversation.

James slouched back against Sherlock's sofa so that he wasn't nose to nose with the detective and spread his arms along the back of it.

"I've just got one of those faces."

Sherlock shot him a filthy, hate-filled, look before carrying on, "Toriary, strange name."

"Not so much strange as, uncommon I would say... _Mr. Holmes."_ James sneered again, Sherlock hated the way he did that.

"If you so much as a lay a finger on Mary I will-" Sherlock surprised himself again at this display of emotion.

"You will do what? Get your brother and the whole of the English government to hunt me down, or will John contact the army and get them in on it too? Or maybe her crazy ex-assassin of a mother will slice my throat whilst I sleep?"

Sherlock was shocked, how could Mary have told this boy everything already, he was saddened.

"Oh, it wasn't Mary who told me all that."

Sherlock's brow furrowed in confusion

"It was my big brother, in fact I believe the two of you have met."

In dawned on Sherlock in a matter of seconds.

"Moriarty." He whispered.

James nodded his head just as Mary stumbled in to the living room her arms weighed down with tea and biscuits.


	5. A Talk With Her Father

"Anyway Uncle S, we best be off" Mary hugged Sherlock and planted a kiss on his cheek, a gesture that Sherlock had grown to love. The meeting had gone splendidly, Mary had been given her phone back but promised not to tell John and Mary and now she was off for a date with James.

"It was good to meet you, Sherlock." James extended his hand but Sherlock turned his back and walked over to the mantle piece.

"Good bye Mary, be careful." His words were full of emotion but she was already gone. He grabbed the skull he kept over the fire place and shook open the pack of cigarettes he kept hidden underneath it. He sat down, lit one, and sighed as he exhaled the smoke. He closed his eyes, sunk back in to his chair and began to think but was distracted by a shadow in the corner of his room.

"John."

"Sherlock."

"You follow that girl everywhere."

"I'm here to see you, merely coincidental."

"No need to lie to me John, I see right through you." Sherlock opened his eyes and held out the cigarettes towards John.

"You're smoking." John sat down in his chair, facing Sherlock.

"Quite the deduction." Sherlock smiled and inhaled more cigarette smoke.

"What's he like then?" John had his business face on.

"Who?"

"You know who, Sherlock." John wasn't in the mood for Sherlock's games but it was good to be just the two of them again, it had been a while.

"James? James M. Toriary? M. Toriary. Moriarty."

John's spine stiffened, that name brought back painful memories but what did that have to do with his daughters boyfriend?

Sherlock continued, "He's not interested in her, John. His older brother happens to be _the_ Moriarty and something big is brewing, he would not have been here otherwise."

John faltered, a thousand thoughts rushed through his mind but one stuck out like a sore thumb, "So that boy that you know to be the younger brother of the most dangerous man in Britain has just walked out of your flat with my daughter and you didn't think to stop him?" John was now standing, his rage was prominent in every aspect of his appearance. Sherlock stood too but didn't get a chance to reply before John punched him square in the face.

"Jesus Christ John!" Sherlock held the bridge of his nose as blood poured on to the carpet.

"_**HOW COULD YOU DO THIS SHERLOCK? SHE COULD BE IN REAL DANGER**_"

"_**BECAUSE JOHN, MARY KNOWS.**_"

"What?" John was ready to unleash his full wrath upon Sherlock but was caught of guard by his last comment.

"She knows John, or at least she will." Sherlock walked to the kitchen to grab some ice for his nose.

"What do you mean?" John's gaze followed Sherlock around the apartment, Sherlock faced John as he applied the ice liberally to his nose, "And don't just give me the look."

Sherlock sighed. "I slipped her a note."

John's anger began pulsing through him again, "You, slipped, her, a, note."

"She'll know what it means, She will know what to do." Sherlock was confident about his plan.

"_**HOW MUCH HELP WILL A NOTE BE WHEN MORIARTY HAS HER TIED UP IN SOME REMOTE WAREHOUSE, SUBJECTING HER TO TORTURE."**_

"It won't come to-"

Sherlock didn't get the chance to finish his sentence before, once again, John punched him square in the face.


	6. The Woman, The Man and The Boy

A familiar ringtone awoke Mary from her hormone filled passion.

Mary pulled away from her boyfriends lips, it had been a good few days since she'd heard that ringtone. Sherlock had refused to give the phone to anyone, including Mary, until today. She thought it suspicious but decided to just let it go.

The name on the screen read 'Sherlock'

"Give me a second."

James looked disgruntled but didn't protest, Mary got up from his sofa and walked out in to the hallway. James mother was stood their, in a black lace dressing gown.

"Mary?"

"Hi Irene, I really have to take this. It's my Uncle."

"Go ahead sweetie, I'll give you some privacy." Irene walked in to the living room, Mary guessed to talk to James. She picked up the call on the last ring.

"Uncle S?" Mary answered the phone, she turned around in the hallway and was faced with a mirror. She looked at herself, Long blonde hair that she had tied in a single braid over her shoulder, dark brown eyes and a slight figure. She was small for her age but that didn't mean she was weak, she could throw a handy punch when she needed too.

"Mary, don't talk again. The case has changed, I solved the first one. I e-mailed you the details of the new one and I need you to look at them now, no excuses. Make sure no one sees you."

There was a click and the line went dead. Mary didn't know what Sherlock was up too but decided it was best to follow his word. She stopped looking at herself in the mirror and wiped the concern from her face, she stuck her head around the living room door and saw both James and his Mother sitting on the sofa deep in conversation.

"I just need to pop to the loo."

She didn't even know where their toilet was but didn't give them the chance to tell her, she rushed out of the room again and up the stairs. She opened a couple of doors until she did find the bathroom. She went in, locked the door and sat down on the edge of the bath.

Mary typed in her phones lock key: _SJMM_

Her phone informed her that she had one new e-mail, she opened it, curious and excited as to it's contents.

_**The Deceitful Boy**_

_**A fifteen year old girl is currently at the house of the younger brother of the worlds most dangerous criminal. The younger brother in question agreed to date the girl for information his big brother could not get. This boy already knows most things about the girl and I fear that tonight something big is going to happen. This boy was introduced to me earlier and revealed all. The girl needs to go back downstairs and wait for her Dad and Uncle to arrive.**_

Mary read the message five times over before she really began to get scared. What was happening? He wasn't talking about James, was he? Her boyfriend wasn't dangerous, surely? She stood up and turned to walk out of the door but James was already waiting for her.

"Sherlock's on his way is he?" James suddenly seemed much more threatening.

Mary's eye's widened.

James stepped forward and grabbed her by her shirt, "_ANSWER ME."_

Mary began to cry, everything was happening so quickly and all at once.

Another figure stepped in to the door way, "Now, now little brother. We can't hurt her yet, not until we've given her this." The figure that sounded just like James handed James a needle. He shoved it mercilessly into Mary's neck, the last thing she heard before she passed out was,

"I believe Irene used that one on Sherlock himself."


	7. Vatican Cameos

Sherlock and John ran towards the house as fast as they could, Sherlock was so focused on getting Mary that he hadn't even realised that he stopped dead when he saw the house. John ran in to his back.

"Sherlock? What is it? We have to hurry up, now!" John was out of breathe and felt like his lungs were exploding but he needed to keep going, he needed to find to Mary.

"The house John, The Woman." Sherlock was frozen on the spot.

John looked up until he saw, it was the house in which they had first met Irene Adler but that was also the house that Mary was inside of.

"Sherlock, look, I don't care what that house means to you. My little girl is inside and we need to get her!"

Sherlock came to his senses very quickly, "Y-yes, of course."

They began to run again, Sherlock was shaky. John ran to the door and went to kick it in but Sherlock stopped him, it was unlocked. They pushed it open and walked inside the hallway that Sherlock recognised so vividly. Both he and John drew their guns and walked slowly forward. They got to the living room door and stopped when they heard noise.

"No need to struggle Mary, we don't want to hurt you that much." An Irish accent, a voice that Sherlock recognised. Moriarty.

Sherlock heard muffled screams that he knew to be Mary's and then a dull thud and silence. Before he could stop him John had run in to the room, holding his gun aloft. Mary was tied to a chair, unconscious, blood trickled from her temple, she had bruises up and down her arms and her left cheek was black and puffy. A tear rolled down John's cheek, how had he let this happen to his little girl. How had he not known that this boy could be dangerous. Before he could run over to grab his daughter, Sherlock stopped him once again. John hadn't realised he was behind him.

"Oh Sherlock, it's been a while." Moriarty was stood, facing Mary but turned to speak to Sherlock. James was stood with his hand on Mary's shoulder and then there was Irene, draped on the sofa looking amazing but Sherlock didn't have time to think about her.

"It has indeed." Sherlock's voice was strained.

"I guess you're wondering why?" Moriarty waited for a reply but neither Sherlock or John honoured him with one. "Rude." Moriarty cracked his neck and carried on talking, "My little brother here," He gestured towards James Jr, "Well he was desperate to have a part in some crime or another and I was particularly bored and I had happen to have heard that John here had a daughter, so I thought it would be nice if the two started seeing each other, things just sort of escalated." Moriarty laughed and put a finger to Sherlock's lips when he began to talk.

He walked over to the sofa and sat by Irene, "Then I heard that she was back in the country and decided to make this really fun. I mean, the last time you two met it was super cute and all and I believe Miss Adler still has a soft spot for you, Sherlock."

Sherlock was beginning to get angry, Mary needed medical attention, he didn't have time for Moriarty's games no matter how pleased he was to see Irene.

"So I cast Irene in the role of the Mother." He smirked again, walked over to Sherlock and began pacing round him. "And we made a deal."

Sherlock looked over to Irene, she wasn't her normal, confident self. She had been crying. He didn't have time to deduce exactly why.

"She could have you back, you could have Mary back as long as you promise to stop with this whole, detective business. It's really a buzz kill, I must say."

Sherlock looked over to Irene and now saw that she was also tied up, not gagged but her hands and feet were bound so that if she moved off the sofa she would do herself a great injury.

"Oh, you noticed that did you? Well, she wouldn't stop screaming for us to stop hitting your daughter." John twitched. "So we had to tie her up too, pity really."

Sherlock looked over to John and saw that he was crying. He had to fix this, if he could just stall for one more minute everything would be okay.

He walked past Moriarty and over to the sofa where Irene was, he reached in to his coat pocket and appeared to pull out nothing.

He knelt down in front of her and grabbed her hands. He started rubbing his thumb up and down over the tape that bound her hands together, it appeared to everyone else that he was just consoling her before he shouted,

"_**VATICAN CAMEOS**_."

He handed Irene the razor blade, she pulled her hands apart as Sherlock had just freed her, it took seconds before her feet where untied also.

John who was stood next to Moriarty ran to the big window at the back of the room and opened it to allow Mary Sr. to jump in and kick James Jr. in the back. He fell, taking Mary, bound to her chair with him.

Sherlock stood up and walked over to Moriarty.

"Looks like the side of the angels is winning this time."

Before Moriarty had the chance to respond, Sherlock pistol whipped him across the jaw and Irene caught him as he fell, just so she could stick the same needle that had previously been in Mary's neck in his.

She let him fall to the floor with a thud.

Time seemed to slow down as Sherlock met The Woman's eyes. He would have stayed there forever if it weren't for the gunshot behind him. He turned around, quick as a flash to see John stood over James Jr. Who now had a bullet hole in his right thigh. He had blacked out from the pain.

Mary was untying her daughter who was just beginning to regain consciousness.

"Hush baby, it's going to be okay." Mary picked up Mary and held her before John took her off her hands.

Sherlock walked over to John but couldn't form any words. They heard police sirens in the distance.

"It's okay Sherlock, we saved her." John was just happy to have his daughter alive. He knew she would need some first aid and pronto but he was too scared to put her down in this house so he carried her outside in his arms and laid her down on the marble steps as he began to bandage up her wounds and correct her broken bones.

Mary followed her husband.

Sherlock stood there with Irene for a moment before she walked up close to him and said in his ear, "It's good to see you Mr Holmes, let's have dinner."


	8. I Really Do

The light burned Mary's eyes, pain throbbed through her head. She heard voices, ones she recognised. She let out a soft moan through her lips and all the talking deceased.

"Mary." It was Sherlock's voice that spoke first.

"Is she okay?" Next was a woman's voice that she couldn't place but had definitely heard before.

"Mary, are you awake?" It was her dad, he was sat very close to her.

She tried to form words but her whole face hurt, she tried to nod but it didn't work so she just made a sort of grunting noise.

She tried to open here eyes but only the right one responded, the left one was particularly sore. She turned her head slowly and looked around the room, she was in 221b baker street, lying on Sherlock's sofa. Sherlock was sat in his chair by the fire place, an unlit cigarette between his fingers and a glass of scotch in one hand. Sat on the arm of his chair was the voice that Mary could not place, it was Irene. James' mother.

Her mum and dad were sat by her, her mum had a glass of water and some ibuprofen in one hand whilst her dad a wet cloth and some bandages.

Mary's mother urged her to drink the water and she did, once her dad had helped her sit up.

She kept her one good eye on Irene the whole time until she spoke.

"I understand you must be confused." Mary would have laughed if she had not been in so much pain, confused didn't even to cover what she was feeling. Irene sighed and stood up, "I'm not James mother, I'm an old friend of Sherlock's but I owed Moriarty a favour and I'm so sorry, I tried to stop him I really did."

Mary didn't really react, she turned to look at her parents and tried to process the information.

_An old friend of Sherlock's._

She knew exactly who this woman was.

"You're The Woman aren't you?" The words came from Mary's mouth but they were slow and broken.

Irene was caught off guard by this comment. "Not any more Mary."

Sherlock looked up at Irene with hurt in his eyes, Mary knew that this was the Woman Sherlock had told her about. The only woman he had ever really loved.

Mary decided to let it go for now, "Uncle S."

"Mary" Sherlock responded but he never looked at her, she knew what he was feeling.

"This wasn't your fault."

John flinched, it was a sensitive subject. Who's fault was all this? Everyone, including Mary felt guilty. How could she hurt all her friends and family like this? How could she have been so stupid?

Sherlock didn't respond to Mary's last comment and Mary knew he wanted to be alone, well alone with Irene.

"I want to go home Dad."

John looked up, surprised, "But-."

"If she wants to go home John, we're taking her home." Mary's voice was authoritative. Both her and John stood up in synchronisation but John bent down and picked up Mary in his arms. She was so light, so fragile.

They walked out of 221b and got in to the back of Lestrade's police car, he had been waiting for them downstairs this whole time.

"You really love her don't you, Mr Holmes?" Sherlock flinched, no one minus Mary had called him that in years.

It took Sherlock a few moments to reply before finally, avoiding Irene's eyes in the now empty apartment he said, "I really do."


End file.
